Reality or Imagination?
by JustAnotherBookNerd
Summary: What if the faction system wasn't created many years ago? What if it was merely a few days ago? When Hailee Rey wakes up with two different sets of memories - crystal clear memories of living as an Erudite, and blurred memories of a past life - she faces the struggles of finding out whether they were reality, or just her imagination.
1. Chapter 1

~Hailee's POV~

I remember it all. I remember them building the wall, I remember the riots, I remember life before the factions were created. Ask anyone else and they'll say that I'm mad, the wall was built after the war hundreds of years ago along with the faction system. But, I remember things a little differently.

The government, they wanted to test us, study us, and observe us for some reason. They made us all build a giant fence around our city, Chicago, in order to block us from the rest of the world. No one knew why so we went along with it, not asking any questions. But when we were told that we were going to be injected with a memory serum, and have our memories replaced with new ones, all hell broke loose. There were riots, fights and even murder. And...And... That's all I can remember since I woke up in my 'home'.

I could recall my fake memories, they were crystal clear, I could remember friends, school papers and living by the faction system, but my real memories, they were a blur. Vague memories of old friends, hobbies and building the fence flashes through my mind. I sat up and scanned the room. I recognised everything: my overly-tidy desk, my spotless tile floor, my wardrobe full of 'smart' blue clothes and my school work scattered along a cork board. Sometimes being an Erudite meant being boring for the sake of living logically and systematically. But, nothing seemed...normal. I was never a tidy person, I mean, my mum loved to have everything spic and span, but my dad and I couldn't care less. From what I could remember, my old room was an absolute tip. Also, being an Erudite means being intelligent and logical, but I'm the kind of person who would only get an average score on tests, and usually forgets what day it is. I slowly stumbled out of my comfortable bed, leaving the warmth of the land of nod and entering my odd reality.

I walked towards the cork board, studying my work. A few days ago, I wouldn't have understood one word of it, but it makes perfect sense to me now. Apparently, in Erudite people are less lenient about how much physics and algebra you know. It was spooky, seeing how a new set of memories could change so much. I mean, surely everyone else remembered, it couldn't just be me who knew about the memory serum and our other lives. There must have been something wrong with the serum. But what if... No, I had to push that memory to the back of my brain and stay focused. What would await me as I lived out this new life.

 **a/n This is my first ever fanfiction, so I am open to constructive criticism and ways to improve. Also, Tris and other main characters will be introduced in the next chapter onward. All rights to Veronica Roth - apart from Hailee. I hope you enjoyed xx**


	2. Chapter 2

~Hailee's POV~

I walked out into my kitchen and saw my mum and dad sitting at the table drinking coffee- they were probably discussing the government or some new formula to cure a fatal disease. They were doctors in this life, and they were the best ones too. They were constantly rushing through the hospital, healing the sick and wounded. I was actually proud of them, they were such wonderful people. To think that before all of this, their jobs were to help build a huge fence. I hoped that they remembered something, anything that would prove that I wasn't going insane. I naturally went over to the coffee machine, so I could make a drink to wake me up.

"Good morning Hailee," My dad said to me, as I sat down in between my parents at the smooth glass table "What is your opinion on Marcus Eaton's gain of power recently?"  
"Umm" I stuttered, my brain suddenly realising how tired it was " I think he is...umm...he's-"  
"Leave her be Glenn, you know that her brain doesn't function this early in the morning," my mum chided jokingly at my dad. I took a sip of my bitter coffee, hoping that it would wake me up a bit.  
"True, true. Did you sleep well darling? Because you know that today is an important day." Wait, what? What day was it today? This must be why people why people call me a scatterbrain. Mum must have seen my puzzled look.  
"Today's the day you find out what faction you are meant to be in. We can finally prove to those damn neighbours that even my little scatterbrain can be a true Erudite." Shit. That's today! Oh my mum is going to hate me if I don't choose to be Erudite.  
"Florence, don't scare her. We love you whatever faction you chose to be in. Remember:"  
"Faction before blood." we said in unison. This was going to be a long day

~time skip~

I just managed to catch the bus in time to get to school. I hated travelling by bus, everyone was always so judgmental about the other factions - especially Candor, you know, the whole honesty thing. The entire bus was full, which was just great considering that i was about three inches to short to reach the bar at the top for standing passengers. A Abnegation boy noticed my struggle and let me take his seat. I thanked they boy, but realised that it wasn't anything personal - he was a stiff after all. I listened in to his conversation with his blonde friend. I recognised her,she was one of the blurred faces in my old memories. What was her name again? B...B...Bethany? No...Barbara? Nope...Beatrice! That must have meant that the boy was her brother Caleb. We must have been friends, or something like that. Maybe she could remember me too.

~Tris's POV~

Caleb gave his seat up to a short Erudite girl. Of course he would, he was born to be an Abnegation. But there was something about that girl that seemed familiar. I had only ever seen her on the bus - she was an Erudite so she wouldn't be in any of my classes. She had light brown skin, tightly curled black hair and eyes so blue that you wouldn't be able to forget her face. I wanted to talk to her, it seemed natural but, how could I when I didn't even know the girl. Besides, she would probably look down on me like the rest of the Erudites do. But, she seemed different, her eyes wide open with curiosity and perspective, her lips curved into a slight smile. I needed to find out more about her.

~Time skip~

"...Beatrice Prior, Evan Waterson and Hailee Rey, please enter for you aptitude test" Ugh. I didn't want to take the test. I didn't want to find out that I never truly belonged with my family and should have been in Amity, or something instead. I looked over to my left and saw a short, chubby blond boy dressed in yellow and red. He was Amity, but I bet he would be Dauntless or something stupid like that. I wondered what was going through his mind. He was shaking from head to toe and looked like he was gonna puke. I shivered as a wave of sickness came over me too. I looked to my right. Standing there confidently, was the girl from the bus. She was only sixteen! She had such an aura of sophistication and responsibility, that she looked about nineteen. She must have been Hailee - her name, it sounds oddly familiar. Between her looking as cool as a cucumber, and the boy next to me nearly about to faint, I didn't know how to feel anything but scared. Just before I stepped inside, Hailee gave me a friendly nod, sending a wave of reassurance over me. I had to find out more about her. I walked into the room, ready to find out where I belong.

~Hailee's POV~

"...Beatrice Prior, Evan Waterson and Hailee Rey, please enter for you aptitude test" I stood up from my table. All of my Erudite friends had already taken the test and were back in lessons so I was alone. I had tried to see if my friends knew anything about our past life, but they simply laughed at me and said that I obviously hadn't drunk any coffee that morning. I walked up to the entrance and saw that Beatrice was at the door next to me. I wondered what was going through her mind, how she was feeling. By her deathly pale face, it obviously wasn't a good feeling. She turned to look at me and I gave her a nod to reassure her that it would be fine... At least, I hoped it would be fine. I tried to stand confidently to show that I wasn't worried, when deep down I was. I would probably become factionless wherever I went. I don't really match up to any of the factions. Also, with my strange memories, people would think I was crazy! I knew my memories were real, but I had to keep my head down and not get myself put in a mental asylum, so I entered the room, ready to find out where I belong.

 **a/n I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 xx**


	3. Chapter 3

~Hailee's POV~

I didn't pay much attention to the Abnegation lady who was administrating my test, so I was shocked when I felt a needle sharply piercing my skin, and everything around me start to go dark as I fell unconscious. I opened my eyes to find myself in the canteen, where I was earlier. The room was completely empty and all but one table had been pushed to the corners of the room. On the table were two baskets- one containing cheese and one containing a knife. What was going on?  
"Choose one!" a booming male voice said forcefully. I looked around for the source of the voice, but there was no one to be seen.  
"What for?" I replied to the voice, "What do I need it for?"  
"Choose one!" the voice reiterated, irritated. I looked between the two items - cheese or a knife? The knife suggested that I would have to use it against someone. I didn't want to hurt anyone innocent so I figure that the cheese was my best bet. I picked up the block of cheese, and the table and knife disappeared before my eyes. Sudden growls made me jump backwards. I turned around to see a huge dog, baring its teeth at me. It had a brown greasy coat, and dark bloodshot eyes that stared at me with hate. It looked like it was going to attack.  
"Good boy, take it easy," I said to the dog as it slowly moved towards me. "Do ya want some cheese?" I asked as I waved the cheese underneath his nose. The dog took it and slowly shrunk down to a small, fluffy puppy. "You're not so scary now, are ya boy?" I cooed at the little brown puppy wondering what would happen next.

"PUPPY!" I swirled my head around to see a young girl, overjoyed to see such an adorable young puppy. The puppy- wait, no, it had grown back into the growling dog again- it snapped at the young girl and bounded towards her with a bloodcurdling look in its eyes. I couldn't just stand and watch as a young child was get harmed, even if I was now unarmed – I mean, I couldn't exactly throw the leftover cheese at it! I had to do something.I sprinted alongside the dog, and jumped in front of it, my heart pounding as I ran. "Hey, hey, take it easy now boy, calm down." I whimpered, as the dog came to a stop before me. Ugh, what do you say to calm a dog down? "Don't attack boy! We mean no harm...ummm...we come in peace?" I suggested, uncertain of what would happen. The dog stopped, tilted its head at me and shrank back down to a puppy. Everything slowly started to go black again.

My eyes jolted open, and I saw the Abnegation woman leaning over me. "Ah, you're awake. Here, have a drink while I gather your test results." she exclaimed while handing me a glass of cold water. What was she going to say? Am I brave enough to be Dauntless? I mean, it's pretty brave jumping out in front of a dog like that. But was that action intelligent enough to be Erudite? My mother would love that. Or, maybe I am Amity. I didn't hurt anyone, and I was rather peaceful, wasn't I? What about Abnegation? I went and helped the young girl out. Or, maybe I was Candor. Was I an honest person throughout? I sat with my knees shaking as the woman walked back towards me. I was terrified to find out my true self. She sat down beside me with a scarily big smile on her face.  
"Your test results show that you are..."

 **a/n sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger! Hailee's and Tris's test results in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed xx**


	4. Chapter 4

~Hailee's POV~

"Your test results show that you are an Amity" WHAT?! AMITY?! That was one of the factions that I didn't think I was.

"umm...okay... Thanks?" I stuttered as I slowly stumbled out of the room. My head flooded with questions as I entered the now empty canteen. There was one question that I just couldn't get out of my head: What faction am I going to pick? My family would hate me if I left, but I don't truly belong in Erudite. I could do quite well in Amity, but I love my mum and dad, and I couldn't leave them behind. I decided not to go to my faction history lesson; I know that it's all lies and it was nearly the end of the day anyway. So, I headed out of the school, my blue boots clicking against the floor as I briskly walked outside. I needed someone to confide in, someone who would understand what I was going through. I just didn't know who.

~Tris's POV~

I slowly sauntered back home, trying to process what I had just been told. My results, they were impossible. There was no way I could be Erudite, Dauntless and Abnegation but apparently, I was. Tori called it 'divergent'. I twiddled my fingers together in concentration. I didn't know what I was going to do. I knew I would never pick Erudite; that would be betraying my family completely. But what was best for me? Abnegation or Dauntless?

~Flash back~

I was young, about six or seven, walking to school by myself, and I saw the train come in. The Dauntless were arriving. There was something about the way they moved, how care-free and full of life they were that made me want to be like them. I wanted to jump along buildings and feel the wind rush through my hair as I ran without a care in the world. Dauntless members started to pour out of the train, jumping out onto the ground. I looked up at them in awe as they sprinted past me. One boy, with dark green hair and a nose piercing looked down and winked at me. I looked away smiling and blushing. That's when I decided to follow them. I sprinted along side the boy, feeling as free as a bird. I didn't care that my boots were giving me blisters, or that I was starting to get winded and out of breath. I was giddy, giggling and smiling with the boy as we ran. We finally came to a stop, and I sat down to catch my breath. I still had a huge grin plastered on my face. The boy noticed and grinned back at me as he sat down beside me.  
"So, Blondie, are you going to be joining us in Dauntless when your old enough?" I nodded my head vigorously, I hadn't ever thought about what faction I wanted to be in when I grew up " Are ya sure that you're brave enough? You look pretty tough to me." He said playfully, lightly tapping my arm with his hands.  
"Yep, I'm braver than anyone! I'm a great fighter too!" I said, showing off my poor karate skills.  
"I'm sure you are," he exclaimed, laughing "Well, I've gotta go, but you're gonna run along with us tomorrow, aren't ya?" I nodded, ecstatic. Did he really think that I was brave enough to be a Dauntless! "Well,See ya!" I watched and waved as the Dauntless ran into an old dilapidated building, as I then decided my fate.

~Flash back over~

Back then I had already decided; I wanted to be a Dauntless. But now, I wasn't so sure. I decided to visit the park near my house, in order to clear my brain. I needed someone to talk to, to confide in, but I didn't know who.

~Hailee's POV~

I needed to go somewhere that no one I knew would find me. They would only ask me questions about my test, that I wouldn't want to answer. I remembered overhearing two Candor boys talking about an old park on an Abnegation estate, so I decided to go there, as it wasn't far from my bus-stop. I headed off so that I could think things through,and clear my head. I wasn't sure of the exact way there, but I found it eventually by walking down a back alley. Swinging open the yellow gate, I entered the empty park and sat down on one of the creaky swings, slowly pushing myself forwards and back. I easily got lost in my thoughts, but I was abruptly dragged out of them when I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder and someone shouting "Hey!" at me.

 **a/n Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed! xx**


End file.
